Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • ‘Andor’ Creator Reveals Scrapped Plans for D+ Series

    ‘Andor’ Creator Reveals Scrapped Plans for D+ Series

    Lucasfilm’s D+ streaming series Andor was an immediate and improbable hit for the studio. Though Rogue One was relatively well-received when it hit theaters in 2016, it didn’t seem to fit the mold of the type of project either the studio heads or fans would be looking to explore further. As a direct prequel to Star Wars: Episode IV-A New Hope, Rogue One told the story of a group of Rebels willing to give it all to see the Death Star destroyed. They all died. We know what happens next. The end. Except it wasn’t and the galaxy far, far away is all the better for it.

    Following the anxiety-inducing Season 1 finale, Star Wars fans have been patiently awaiting the arrival of the second season of Andor.  With the recent announcement of its April 2025 release, Lucasfilm has already started what’s sure to be an all-out publicity blitz for the sophomore season which will flesh out the title character’s rise as one of the Galaxy’s most important revolutionaries. However, as fans prepare for the final 12 episodes, creator Tony Gilroy made a shocking admission about his original plans for the series.

    Andor, the acclaimed thriller, returns for its long-awaited conclusion. The twelve episodes of Season Two will carry the story of Cassian Andor and the emerging rebel alliance over the climactic four years that lead to the discovery of The Death Star and the events of Rogue  One. Season One followed Cassian’s reluctant journey from cynical nobody to revolutionary volunteer. Andor Season Two will see him transform from soldier to leader to hero on the way to his epic destiny. From the very first scene, Cassian’s story has activated an ever-widening ensemble of allies and enemies. Season Two will see these relationships intensify as the horizon of galactic war draws near. Everyone will be tested and, as the stakes rise, the betrayals, sacrifices and conflicting agendas will become profound. Who will live to see their dream realized? Who will realize what that dream cost?

    -Official Synopsis for Andor: A Star Wars Story
    (L-R): Tony Gilroy and Diego Luna on the set of Lucasfilm’s ANDOR, exclusively on Disney+. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
    While discussing the second and final season of the streaming series with Empire, Gilroy revealed that he originally conceived of Andor as a five-season run consisting of 60 total episodes.

    Though Gilroy pitched Andor to Lucasfilm as a five-season series, it didn’t take long for him to realize he needed to reconsider. Gilroy explained to Empire that during the point in production on Season 1 where he started to think ahead to Season 2, the enormity of what he was planning to undertake hit him. “Oh my God, we are going to have to come up with another 12 hours of story?” he recalled thinking before realizing that another 36 hours would have to come after that. “So I was already panicked,” Gilroy shared. “We already said we were going to do five years, that was the concept. How do you get out of that?“

    Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) in Lucasfilm’s ANDOR, exclusively on Disney+. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

    The solution, which crystalized while Gilroy and series star Diego Luna discussed “how fucked” they were, was to turn the second season into years 2 through 5 of the original plan. To do so, the season was shot in four blocks of three episodes each, each covering one year until they catch up to Rogue One‘s opening scene. “There’s no mystery about where we are going,” said Gilroy. “We are going to end up on that walk out to the ship with K-2 and go to the Rings of Kafrene and start Rogue One.”

    Though Andor‘s endpoint is known and plenty of familiar faces from Rogue One are set to appear in Season 2, the final 12 hours of the series may be the most anticipated content set in the galaxy far, far away in a long, long time. Andor: A Star Wars Story will premiere on Disney Plus on April 22, 2025.

    Source: Empire Magazine

  • Image Comics Releases New Trailer for Rick Remender and Paul Azaceta’s ‘The Seasons’

    Image Comics Releases New Trailer for Rick Remender and Paul Azaceta’s ‘The Seasons’

    In October, Fangoria revealed that Rick Remender and Paul Azaceta were teaming with Image Comics for an “elevated tale of whimsical horror” in The Seasons. Part of Remender’s Giant Generator line of comics, The Seasons will roll out a double-sided first issue in January. Today, Image unveiled a trailer for the new book as part of an official release.

    Excitement for the upcoming The Seasons launch from The New York Times bestselling writer Rick Remender (The Sacrificers, Grommets, Deadly Class) and artist Paul Azaceta (Outcast by Kirkman and Azaceta) is ramping up and Giant Generator treated fans last weekend with the surprise drop of an eerie teaser trailer that alludes to an ancient evil at play.

    Summer, Winter, Spring and Autumn are the Seasons Sisters, the daughters of the world-renowned Seasons Detectives. Ten years ago, their famous parents disappeared. Left to raise themselves, the sisters formed an unbreakable bond. Now that bond is tested as the sisters fall prey to sinister forces. The youngest sister, Spring, is the last hope of saving them from a fate worse than death. Will Spring be able to piece her shattered family back together before it’s too late for them all?

    -Official Synopsis for The Seasons

    “Paul and I have worked tirelessly to create a world unlike anything we’ve ever done before,” Remender told Fangoria last month. “Inspired by Miyazaki, Windsor McKay, and Tintin we wanted to make something that was delightful, poignant, and heartfelt,”he continued. “We hope you find the Seasons sisters as charming as we do. And the Ringleader and his imps as devilishly terrifying. Paul and Matheus have delivered one of the most spectacularly vibrant comics you’re going to see in the modern marketplace.”

    “The Seasons is a comic that will make you remember why you fell in love with comics in the first place.”

    —Robert Kirkman, Invincible, The Walking Dead

    The Seasons #1 will be on shelves on January 15, 2025.

    Sources: Image Comics, Fangoria

  • James Gunn Adds Two Previous DC Projects to the New DCU Timeline, Confusing Dozens

    James Gunn Adds Two Previous DC Projects to the New DCU Timeline, Confusing Dozens

    Before it even begins, the new DCU is causing confusion among fans. Set to kick off on December 5th with the animated Max streaming series Creature Commandos, DC Studios’ new attempt to bring the characters and stories of DC Comics to life already has quite a few projects lined up for fans over the next few years. However, according to DC Studios’ co-chair James Gunn, a pair of projects that were relased prior to the creation of the studio should be considered canon, too…kind of…for the most part.

    In an interview with IGN, Gunn muddied the timeline waters of the all-new DCU by explaining that the events of a pair of projects he created will be considered canon to the new connected universe.

    “Now in Creature Commandos, you’ll hear them talk about things that happened in [The] Suicide Squad or Peacemaker,” shared Gunn. “Well then, those things automatically become canon.”

    Released in 2021, The Suicide Squad introduced John Cena‘s Peacemaker to fans as part of a second team of degenerates sent by Amanda Waller to Corto Maltese. The events of The Suicide Squad, including the death of Rick Flag at the hands of Peacemaker, serve as the set up for Season 1 of Peacemaker, an HBO streaming series that debuted in 2022 and saw Cena return as the offbeat character. With Amanda Waller, who was featured in both projects, and Rick Flag’s father both appearing in Creature Commandos, and again in Season 2 of Peacemaker, a clear line of continuity can be established from one project to the next. Until it can’t.

    As it turns out, not ALL of the events of Season 1 of Peacemaker are to be considered canon to the new DCU, which hasn’t started yet but did start in 2021 with The Suicide Squad. “The truth is almost all of Peacemaker is canon with the exception of Justice League… which we will kind of deal with in the next season of Peacemaker,” said Gunn of the shadowy appearance of the Snyderverse’s team of heroes.

    Given Gunn’s creativity and the time he’s had to solve the issue of decanonizing a scene he wrote, explaining away the Justice League shouldn’t be much of a problem…at least until it happens.

    Creature Commandos kicks off the all-new DCU–or does it?–on December 5th while Season 2 of Peacemaker will begin streaming in August 2025.

    Source: IGN

  • Rock, Sgt. Rock: DC Studios Targeting Daniel Craig for WW II Period Piece

    Rock, Sgt. Rock: DC Studios Targeting Daniel Craig for WW II Period Piece

    Ahead of the launch of the all-new DCU with the seven-episode animated series Creature Commandos, DC Studios’ co-chair James Gunn recently teased some surprises added to the impressive Chapter One: Gods and Monsters slate. “It’s really Creature Commandos, Superman, Peacemaker, Lanterns, Supergirl..and then some things people don’t know,” said Gunn. Now a new report may have identified one of those unknowns.

    According to Deadline, Gunn and co-chair Peter Safran are working to land former 007 Daniel Craig to lead director Luca Guadagnino‘s Sgt. Rock project.

    Word of the development of the project broke in September with Jeff “The In” Sneider reporting that Guadagnino was working with DC Studios on a film that Nexus Point News revealed to be a WW II period piece featuring Sgt. Rock. Rock’s infantry unit, Easy Company, has been confirmed to be included in Creature Commandos, leading to speculation that the character, who first appeared in 1959’s Our Army at War #81, may also appear.

    Craig and Guadagnino worked together on Queer, which premiered earlier this year in Venice and will hit theaters on a limited basis on November 27th. According to Deadline, should the pair reunite in Sgt. Rock, it is believed that Guadagnino will tackle the DC Studios’ project next, putting his American Psycho remake on the back burner for the time being.

    Source: Deadline

  • BTS Pics Reveal the First Look at the Rock as Maui in Disney’s Live-Action ‘Moana’

    BTS Pics Reveal the First Look at the Rock as Maui in Disney’s Live-Action ‘Moana’

    What can he say except “you’re welcome”? As production on Disney’s live-action reimagining of Moana prepares to wrap ahead of Thanksgiving, the first looks at Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Maui and Catherine Laga-aia as Moana have appeared online.

    Captured by Reel News Hawaii, the set photos show Johnson fully decked out as the Polynesian Demigod Maui alongside Laga-aia on the beach at Pokai Bay in Waianae, Hawaii. Despite principal photography being scheduled to end on November 25th, the new photos represent the first time the stars have been captured on set and provide a great look at Maui’s costume, which looks to be straight out of the animated classic.

    With Moana 2 out in theaters on November 27th, there’s a good chance that Disney makes the most of the leak and generates some official buzz about the live-action film which is due in theaters on July 10, 2026.

    Disney revealed plans for the live-action reimagining in April 2023 and, just a month later, hired Tony Award Winner Thomas Kail as the director.

  • Marvel Studios Reportedly Meeting with Emmy-Winning Scribe About Major Phase 7 Project

    Marvel Studios Reportedly Meeting with Emmy-Winning Scribe About Major Phase 7 Project

    As Marvel Studios looks to carry momentum from a strong 2024 into a new year loaded with highly-anticipated theatrical and streaming projects, moves are already being made behind the scenes to keep the MCU running strong beyond Avengers: Secret Wars. While Kevin Feige recently made it clear that “the X-Men are an important part of that future,” they certainly won’t be the only team making waves following the conclusion of the Multiverse Saga.

    It’s hard to believe the Fantastic Four won’t return in some capacity in the studio’s new saga and there will always be room for more stories involving different iterations Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Another team that the studio has been building toward over the course of several projects, the Young Avengers, seems closer than ever to making its MCU debut with another of its key components on the board following Billy Maximoff’s resurrection in Agatha All Along. Now a new report indicates that the studio may be ready to move forward on the project in earnest.

    According to reliable Marvel Insider Daniel Richtman, Marvel Studios has been in contact with Fargo and Legion writer Noah Hawley. Among “several projects” on the table for the Emmy Award-winning writer to tackle is the highly-anticipated Young Avengers that was recently teased by Marvel Parliament member Brad Winderbaum.

    Though the studio has never officially announced the development of a Young Avengers project, they’ve continued to populate the MCU with characters from its comic book roster over the years and teased the team in a stinger attached to 2023’s The Marvels. Iman Vellani‘s Kamala Khan and Hailee Steinfeld‘s Kate Bishop, who were featured in the stinger, would certainly be two of the team’s central figures and could be joined by a number of characters including America Chavez, Billy Kaplan, Cassie Lang, Elijah Bradley and even Tommy Maximoff/Shepherd, who debuted briefly in Agatha All Along.

  • James Gunn Updates DC Studios’ Slate, Reveals ‘Lanterns’ Release Window

    James Gunn Updates DC Studios’ Slate, Reveals ‘Lanterns’ Release Window

    Fans are about to get their first look at the all-new DCU when the seven-episode animated series Creature Commandos debuts on Max in December 5th. Written by DC Studios co-chair James Gunn, the series “tracks a secret team of incarcerated monsters recruited for missions deemed too dangerous for humans” and will introduce the world to a shared universe already populated with heroes and villains.

    Announced by Gunn and co-chair Peter Safran as part of the initial DC Studios’ slate reveal in January 2023, Creature Commandos kept pace during production to meet its intended target date as the DCU’s first project. Superman, starring David Corenswet as the new Man of Steel, was always meant to follow Creature Commandos and is on track to do so. However, following that, the release order of the rest of the slate was always a bit murky, though it has started to take shape over the past several months.

    As always, Gunn has been active in social media and shared updates on the work taking place behind the scenes to get the DCU up and running. As part of those updates, the co-chair revealed that some projects that were part of the original slate reveal are taking longer to develop while others that were not announced are moving ahead. Now, in an interview with IGN, Gunn laid out exactly what fans can expect over the next two years, including the first hint at when Lanterns will hit HBO.

    “It’s really Creature Commandos, Superman, Peacemaker, Lanterns, Supergirl,” said Gunn. “And then some things people don’t know,” he teased. Asked to clarify if Lanterns would stream ahead of the June 26, 2026 release of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Gunn replied “we’ll see when it comes out, but they’re around the same time.” Spring/Summer 2026 it is!

    • December 5, 2024-Creature Commandos (streaming on Max)
    • July 11, 2025-Superman (in theaters)
    • August 2025-Peacemaker, Season 2 (streaming on Max)
    • Spring/Summer 2026-Lanterns (streaming on Max)
    • June 26, 2026-Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (in theaters)

    With Gunn providing a glimpse of what to expect over the next two years, it may be a while before fans learn the identities of the unknown projects he teased. With no updates on announced projects such The Brave and The Bold, The Authority, Booster Gold and more, it’s clear that expectations should be for only a couple of DC Studios’ releases per year for the foreseeable future.

    Source: IGN

  • Lucasfilm’s Rey-Centered Star Wars Film Delayed Indefinitely

    Lucasfilm’s Rey-Centered Star Wars Film Delayed Indefinitely

    Just days after a trade report revealed that a Lucasfilm insider called Daisy Ridley’s Rey the franchise‘s “most valuable cinematic asset” it’s clear that the studio’s prior plans for the character are no longer as in place as was believed. One of three films announced to be in development during Star Wars Celebration 2023, the Ridley-led New Jedi Order era film was once expected to launch the theatrical  return of the Star Wars franchise. However, following the exit of the project’s second writer and in the wake of some confusing news about the future of the franchise, it seems as though the project may not be as ready to move forward as once believed.

    Per a press release from Disney, the Untitled Star Wars film dated for December 18, 2026 has been pulled from the schedule.

    The news comes in the wake of the announcement that Simon Kinberg struck a deal with Lucasfilm to create a new trilogy of films which may or may not include Rey and may or may not be Episodes X, XI and XII. With the studio still determining what to do with Ridley’s Rey, it’s now unclear what projects will follow Jon Favreau‘s The Mandalorian and Grogu, which is due in theaters on May 22, 2026.

    Source: THR

  • Marvel Reveals Full Cast List for the Final Season of Its First Animated Series

    Marvel Reveals Full Cast List for the Final Season of Its First Animated Series

    After struggling to find consistency in its first season, Marvel’s multiverse-hopping canonical animated series, What If…?, hit its stride in Season 2. However, as the Multiverse Saga speeds toward its end, so indeed will Marvel Animation’s efforts to tell stories spread throughout it which means the third season of What If…? will be its last.

    The series won’t go out with a whimper, however, as the new season will expand into territory that the previous two avoided by including alternate takes on characters and stories outside of the Infinity Saga. To that end, the cast of the series has grown, adding a massive number of Phase 4 and 5 stars to the list of returning talent. According to an official project profile shared by Disney, What If…? will feature Hayley Atwell, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Mark Ruffalo, Teyonah Parris, Kathryn Hahn, Kumail Nanjiani, Samuel L. Jackson, Seth Green, Laurence Fishburne, Dominique Thorne, Simu Liu, Hailee Steinfeld, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Devery Jacobs, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Tessa Thompson, Dominic Cooper, James D’Arcy, Josh Brolin, Oscar Isaac, Wyatt Russell, Walton Goggins, Clark Gregg, Emily VanCamp, Meng’er Zhang, Taika Waititi, Rachel House, Kat Dennings, Alison Sealy-Smith, Ross Marquand, Gene Farber, Hamish Parkinson, Tom Vaughn Lawlor and David Kaye with all reprising their respective roles in Season 3.

    (L-R): Kate Bishop (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld) and Shang-Chi (voiced by Simu Liu) in Marvel Animation Television’s WHAT IF…? Season 3. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.
    The Watcher (voiced by Jeffrey Wright) in Marvel Animation Television’s WHAT IF…? Season 3. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.
    (L-R): Red Guardian/Alexei Shostakov (voiced by David Harbour) and Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes (voiced by Sebastian Stan) in Marvel Animation Television’s WHAT IF…? Season 3. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.
    (L-R): The Executioner (Darin De Paul), The Eminence (Jason Isaacs), and The Incarnate (DC Douglas) in a scene from Marvel Animation Television’s WHAT IF…? Season 3. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.

    Additionally America Ferrera, Jason Isaacs (as The Eminence), Natasha Lyonne (as Byrdie), Allen Deng, DC Douglas (as The Incarnate), Darin De Paul (as The Executioner)

    The studio also shared a synopsis for the new season which promises “bigger spectacles” which is exactly what fans have hoped for in the final go-around.

    Marvel’s animated series What If…? returns in Season 3 for its culminating adventure through the multiverse. Watch as classic characters make unexpected choices that will mutate their worlds into spectacular alternate versions of the MCU. The Watcher (voice of Jeffrey Wright) will guide viewers as the series traverses new genres, bigger spectacles, and incredible new characters.

    -Official Synopsis for Season 3 of What If…?
    Storm (voiced by Alison Sealy-Smith) in Marvel Animation Television’s WHAT IF…? Season 3. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.
    Agatha Harkness (voiced by Kathryn Hahn) in Marvel Animation Television’s WHAT IF…? Season 3. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.
    (L-R): Byrdie (voiced by Natasha Lyonne), Captain Carter/Peggy Carter (voiced by Hayley Atwell), and Kahhori (voiced by Devery Jacobs) in Marvel Animation Television’s WHAT IF…? Season 3. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.
    A scene from Marvel Animation Television’s WHAT IF…? Season 3. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.

    Season 3 of What If…? will premiere on December 22nd with new episodes debuting daily through December 29.

  • ‘Andor’ Season 2 Synopsis Teases Cassian’s Revolutionary Rise

    ‘Andor’ Season 2 Synopsis Teases Cassian’s Revolutionary Rise

    One would be forgiven if one counted themselves among the many who questioned why Lucasfilm developed and produced Andor. A prequel to Rogue One, which itself was a prequel to George Lucas‘ original Star Wars film, it seemed an odd decision to work backward to tell the story of a man whose fate was already known. However, despite what may have been perceived to be working against its success, Andor became the gold standard for the studio’s streaming efforts, delivering a tense, boots-on-the-ground look at the birth of the Rebel Alliance. Driven by the passion of star Diego Luna, Season 1 of Andor was truly must-watch TV for Star Wars fans, leaving them ravenously anticipating its second and final season.

    After some hope that it might debut in 2024, Season 2 of Andor was bumped to 2025 following the Hollywood work stoppages that ground the film industry to a halt in 2023. With the revelation of its April 22, 2025 premiere date at D23 Expo Brazil fresh in the minds of fans, Disney has taken advantage of the buzz by releasing an official synopsis for the series and working with Empire to tease what fans can expect in the new, 12-episode season.

    Andor, the acclaimed thriller, returns for its long-awaited conclusion. The twelve episodes of Season Two will carry the story of Cassian Andor and the emerging rebel alliance over the climactic four years that lead to the discovery of The Death Star and the events of Rogue One. Season One followed Cassian’s reluctant journey from cynical nobody to revolutionary volunteer. Andor Season Two will see him transform from soldier to leader to hero on the way to his epic destiny. From the very first scene, Cassian’s story has activated an ever-widening ensemble of allies and enemies. Season Two will see these relationships intensify as the horizon of galactic war draws near. Everyone will be tested and, as the stakes rise, the betrayals, sacrifices and conflicting agendas will become profound. Who will live to see their dream realized? Who will realize what that dream cost?

    Following his conversation with Stellan Skarsgård‘s magnificent bastard, Luthen Rael, in the Season 1 finale, it’s clear that Cassian is now ready to do what he must to take down the Empire and that’s where he picks up in Season 2. “He’s a man fully committed to the Rebellion,” said Luna in an interview with Empire Magazine. “It’s someone who has to ascend. There’s a huge mountain for him to climb in order to [become] the guy we meet in Rogue One,” explained the actor, referring to the 2016 film to which the two seasons of Andor serve as a prequel.

    And of course, as the series moves toward its end it must do so in a way that puts all the right people in all the right places…which means it might just become more Star Warsy than the first season. “We move in space more than ever — the amount of planets and sets you’re going to get to see. There are some familiar and new locations,” explained Luna, teasing a major shift from the first season’s various planetary settings, though there is one very familiar planet that will serve as a key location. “I mean, we have to end up in Yavin, right?” said series creator Tony Gilroy, referring to the planet that housed the Alliance’s base of operations seen in Rogue One and in Star Wars: Episode IV-A New Hope. “So, we’ll tell the story of Yavin. No one has quite dealt with Yavin the way we will be doing it.” With Gilroy’s knack for keeping fans on the edges of their seats, it’ll be fun to watch how it all unfolds even when the endgame is already in sight.

    Season 2 of Andor will debut on Disney Plus on April 22, 2025.

    Source: Empire